FAQs

Most of us use our broadband internet with little thought as to how much data we are consuming, until of course we hit our cap before the end of the month, and have to buy more. And it’s very possible that we may not really know how much data other family members (especially our kids!) are using.

Some online activities, such as sending and receiving emails, use up very little data. However, as all of us move more and more of our lives online, we are downloading and uploading more and more all the time – and both of these count towards our monthly caps.

Previously some of us may have been paying for data we didn’t need each month, but now that we are using richer formats and doing much more streaming, we are going to need to raise those caps to make sure we stay connected.

With the advent of HD and 4K video, and much more sophisticated online multiplayer games, the data flow both in and out of our homes is increasing exponentially. Checking your emails may not eat up much data, but many other online activities certainly do.

Here’s a look at some typical internet activities on a standard 16Mb/s ADSL line to see how much data they use up:

That’s a total of over 16GB per person per month… So now multiply that for a family of four or five and it’s clear that many existing data packages will leave you short.

It’s worth remembering too that file sizes and internet speeds are measured in different units! Download and upload speeds are measured in bits (b) and file sizes in Bytes (B). 1B = 8b so if you have a typical 16Mb/s ADSL line you can actually download 2MB per second of data.

Most of us use our broadband internet with little thought as to how much data we are consuming, until of course we hit our cap before the end of the month, and have to buy more. And it’s very possible that we may not really know how much data other family members (especially our kids!) are using.

Some online activities, such as sending and receiving emails, use up very little data. However, as all of us move more and more of our lives online, we are downloading and uploading more and more all the time – and both of these count towards our monthly caps.

Previously some of us may have been paying for data we didn’t need each month, but now that we are using richer formats and doing much more streaming, we are going to need to raise those caps to make sure we stay connected.

With the advent of HD and 4K video, and much more sophisticated online multiplayer games, the data flow both in and out of our homes is increasing exponentially. Checking your emails may not eat up much data, but many other online activities certainly do.

Here’s a look at some typical internet activities on a standard 16Mb/s ADSL line to see how much data they use up:

That’s a total of over 16GB per person per month… So now multiply that for a family of four or five and it’s clear that many existing data packages will leave you short.

It’s worth remembering too that file sizes and internet speeds are measured in different units! Download and upload speeds are measured in bits (b) and file sizes in Bytes (B). 1B = 8b so if you have a typical 16Mb/s ADSL line you can actually download 2MB per second of data.

For too long, South Africans have had to endure slow, expensive internet. Speed has maybe not been an issue so far, but it’s becoming increasingly important. DSL can give you reasonable internet speeds – for now. But as you upload and download more and bigger files your current internet connection will just not be able to handle it and you will experience life at the tortoise speed.

TV and movies are being made available at higher definitions (HDTV and 4K). These much bigger files require much longer download times – unless you have fibre.

With the speed of fibre-optic broadband you can take full advantage of the internet at work and at play, and live in a truly connected neighbourhood.

DSL using copper wires is ancient technology. It’s been around for 140 years and was never designed to carry more than basic telephone and data signals, not high-speed broadband. That’s where fibre-optic technology comes in.

In South Africa, fibre-optic cable has no resale value, so no outages due to cable theft. It’s resistant to electronic and weather interference – meaning you receive the same quality of signal at all times. And unlike existing technology, fibre optic services are generally symmetrical – that is, upload speeds are the same as download speeds. With DSL, upload speeds are only 10% of download speeds, which is why it can take forever to upload files to the cloud.

Our aim is to connect South Africa to fibre-optic broadband neighbourhood by neighbourhood. Through consultations with your community and residents’ association, we’ll determine a bespoke fibre-optic solution that’s fit for purpose and customised to the specific circumstances of your building or area.

We began with the Maboneng Precinct in central Johannesburg (hence our name) and the “place of light” is now one of the most connected pieces of real estate in Africa. We’re confident that we can take our real-world experience gained in one of the most challenging places and roll out fibre-optic services to more and more neighbourhoods in South Africa, creating a network of “places of light”.

To experience the future of the internet today, visit Maboneng Precinct and enjoy being in a genuinely connected urban neighbourhood: www.mabonengprecinct.com

Contact us on info@maboneng.co to see how we can help your community and neighbourhood.

We’re all about community. We’re a neighbourhood broadband provider, and we’ll connect you to the global village at world-class speeds. A connected neighbourhood is a better environment for residents and visitors – a safer, healthier and smarter place to live and work.

Access to world class broadband connectivity is high on house-buyers’ list of non-negotiables – fibre-optic connectivity is seen as boosting property values and will make your neighbourhood even more desirable.

Much faster neighbourhood broadband is just the start. Fibre-optic broadband offers the capacity to integrate your security systems, VoIP communications, and smart home functionality.

Open Access Networks (OAN) mean exactly that – open, net-neutral broadband networks on which any service provider can deliver a range services on a non-discriminatory basis to any other service provider. Any ISP can offer services over an OAN, giving end users freedom of choice whose services are purchased. At Maboneng Broadband, we’re supplier-agnostic. Your choice comes first, always.

Open access networks stimulate competition between ISPs, ensuring a better deal for end users through cheaper connectivity. That’s a big improvement on the current situation in South Africa, with very few people having access to fibre-optic, and many people paying too much for too little.

An open access network essentially has two layers, with complete separation of functions and duties between the physical cable infrastructure, commonly known as Layer 1, and the “lighting” and managing of this physical layer as an active network on a non-discriminatory basis, commonly known as Layer 2 (that’s us).

If we want to make the most of the internet and our connected world, yes we will. Take a look at the size of the typical files that we are downloading – and uploading. With DSL, these often take so long the download or upload fails part way through. And it would be quicker to pop to the DVD store than try and stream a movie.

Sadly there won’t actually be DVD stores for that much longer – fibre-optic has been described as a “disruptive” technology because it has the power to change how we live and work – for the better. It’s a big step towards the “on-demand economy”, matching products and services to the people that need them, when they need them, at a price that’s right. Like summoning a cab with your smartphone.